LOS ANGELES — Bob Dylan remained elusive as ever during the 2025 Academy Awards on Sunday night. Despite the biopic about his early life, “A Complete Unknown,” being nominated for eight Oscars, Dylan was absent from the ceremony.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dylan was invited to present and perform on the broadcast but opted not to attend, allowing another rock legend to take the spotlight.
Dylan’s absence was a topic of conversation throughout the evening. Host Conan O’Brien mentioned Dylan during his opening monologue, highlighting Timothée Chalamet’s nomination for his portrayal of the musician. “Bob Dylan wanted to be here tonight… but not that badly,” O’Brien joked, referencing Dylan’s history of skipping major events, such as the 2016 Nobel Prize ceremony.
Instead, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger surprised the audience at the Dolby Theatre. Jagger, 81, joked about Dylan, 83, saying, “Much as I love doing it, I wasn’t the first choice. The producers really wanted Bob Dylan to do this. But Bob Dylan won’t do it because he said the best songs in a movie this year were in ‘A Complete Unknown."” Jagger continued with a playful Dylan impression, adding, “Bob said, ‘You should find somebody younger.’ Hey, I’m younger than Bob Dylan!”
The Hollywood Reporter noted, without citing a source, that Dylan had been invited to present the Oscar for best original song, which was won by “El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez,” and to perform during the show. Dylan’s decision not to appear came shortly after he puzzled fans by posting a 2016 video of rapper Machine Gun Kelly performing in Orlando, Florida, on his social media without any explanation.
